A young woman from landlocked Herefordshire is gearing up for the challenge of a lifetime.
In December this year, Ellie Reynolds will be setting off on a 3,000-mile unassisted row across the Atlantic with her 3 teammates: Viki Monk, Ana Zigic and Molly Green; aka. There She Rows.
The Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge is an annual race of endurance in extreme conditions, where crews face 40-ft waves, sleep-deprivation and sea-sickness as they row 2hrs on 2hrs off for ~40 days to cross from the Canary Islands to Antigua.
The team There She Rows mission is not confined to rowing the Atlantic, but to inspire women and girls to conquer their own ‘Atlantic Ocean’ and be active, however that may look to each individual.
On her reasons for taking on this epic feat, Ellie says “As an athlete I recognise my privilege in what I’ve achieved in the last few years… I’ve got the facilities, the funds, the support around me; I’ve got the people I look up to and the inspiration to do things. I wish everyone could have the same opportunities I’ve had – I want to make a difference and be a force for driving equality”.
Ellie, 24, has already worked with 10Ironwomen on a campaign for resetting the gender imbalances in endurance triathlon events.
Born and raised in Allensmore, Ellie says she was always keen to try all the sports at school but never considered herself the athletic type. She took up triathlon whilst at Cardiff university and has become a hugely successful amateur, with several podium finishes and 3 full distance Ironman races under her belt.
After qualifying for and racing the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii in October 2022, she has been invited to speak at various events as an inspirational figure. “I’ve pushed myself to my limits in one sport so it’s time to go and find them in another!”
The women of There She Rows started off as strangers but were united by their lust for adventure and urge to run the campaign. All have different sporting backgrounds but their shared goal here is clear. “We hope that if we can cross the Atlantic Ocean in a tiny 30-foot rowing boat powered by nothing but the four women on board, we will stand as an inspiration for girls and women everywhere to show that you can do anything you want to do,” team captain Viki Monk said. “That doesn’t need to be crossing an ocean. Your challenge might be joining a netball team for the first time, or putting on your running shoes and signing up for that half marathon you’ve wanted to do.”
Ellie highlights the significance of sport in their lives, outside of the obvious physical and mental benefits. “All the skills and lessons it teaches you – confidence, teamwork, leadership – are so valuable in both your personal life and professional life. And of course the people you meet and the places it can take you!”
The statistics in their campaign state that girls drop out of sports at 1.5x the rate of boys by the time they reach age 14, and more than half of all girls will have stopped taking part in sport altogether by age 17.
Viki concluded “Sport is something that we all feel hugely passionate about and hope that this campaign can help to shift the dial on some of those issues,”.
TSR will be supporting the Women’s Sport Trust, Teenage Cancer Trust and Endometriosis UK, once their costs have been covered. If you wish to sponsor or donate, head to Instagram @thereshrerows, and if you’re interested in Ellie’s journey from ‘total newbie’ to ocean rower, she’s documenting the highs and lows on @ellies.row.journal.
